jan 9th 2

I am continuing to read Sheryl Sandbugs Lean In, and to quote an NPR article I read about the book is "not much of a manifesto but still a win of women." It's becoming a little bit difficult to take Sandburg seriously, apparently she was named the 5th most powerful woman by Forbes, and has billions of dollars, as well as two Harvard degrees. These things are all amazing and impressive, but they are also an indicator that Sandburg may not be totally in touch with the average woman's experiences with sexism. This might explain why she doesn't mention too many systemic factors of misogyny or oppression, in many ways she has the means to overcome these things. This raises an important question for me. I don't think that individual incidents of sexism or racism happen in a vacuum. Sandburg might be filthy rich but does that mean all her power gets her away from the sexism women face, especially in the corporate environment in which she works as the COO of Facebook. How do issues of sexism and patriarchy vary between social classes? At what point does financial privilege outweigh male privilege if ever? Does this explain Sandburgs' emphasis on personal decisions and responsibility, because she had so many options for every deception she's made? I am really more an more curious as to why Sandburg's personality shining through in the book is making me feel a little bit attacked (for lack of a better word). Her harsh judgement of women who have had extremely different options than she has seem slightly arrogant and the style of the book is a little bit too polished to the point where it seems a bit over produced. Either way, I appreciate the necessary questions brought up by the  dialogue and the way other feminists have spoken for and against the book is fascinating to consider.